The Sun Valley area has moved a little closer to becoming the nation's only Olympic and Paralympic training site for cross-country skiing.
The country has 10 U.S. Olympic-certified training sites for rowing, speed skating, bobsled and more, including two for winter sports, but nothing for Nordic.
If awarded the designation, the valley would also earn the right to use those five iconic rings, when the U.S. Olympic Committee permits, not to mention making Olympic sponsors available and possibly hosting competitions, such as Olympic and Paralympic trials.
The encouraging step forward came when Sustain Blaine's Economic Development Corp.—the group spearheading the effort—announced this week that former Olympic athletes and locals Jon Engen (cross-country and biathlon skiing), Chuck Ferries (alpine skiing) and Dick Fosbury (high jump) are now involved in the effort, as well as U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover, who resides in Hailey.
The U.S. Olympic Committee and its National Governing Bodies are the decision-makers. Alicia McConnell, director of athlete services and programs for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said the closer a relationship an applicant is with its national governing body—the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association in this case—the better its chances.
Grover brought the 2011 U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team's 11 members here in mid-September for about a week of training.
"We had excellent roller-skiing on the bike-path system, great trail running and great strength and conditioning at High Altitude Fitness," he said. "What made our camp so successful was the many people in the community that helped us out. The crew at Blaine County Recreation District made sure the bike paths were swept daily and ready for our time trials. The U.S. Ski Team athletes and staff all commented about how beneficial the camp was."
No matter how good an applicant's relationship may be with its respective Olympic team, it still has to prove it can meet the needs. The valley must prove in its three-year business plan that it has not only the trails and facilities for the sport, but also community support in the way of low-cost housing, education possibilities such as in-state tuition grants, transportation and quality medical services.
And community buy-in is immediately evident, according to project manager Harry Griffith of Sustain Blaine's Economic Development Corp.
"Sustain Blaine volunteers are working with the Wood River Ability Program, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Blaine County Recreation District, local Olympic athletes and coaches, and other interested parties to get this done," he said. "It will not require creating another new non-profit entity, nor will it require new funding or facilities. We just need to leverage what we already have."
And the area—branded as "Nordic Town USA"—has more than 200 kilometers of groomed cross-country trails.
A nine-member steering committee has been formed, consisting of the Olympians, coaches and organization heads, to guide a small working group in drafting the application, scheduled for completion in April.
McConnell said there's no set timeframe for when the Olympic Committee will approve or deny the request.
"We're at the very beginning of the process," said Diana Takvam, chair of Sustain Blaine's community outreach committee. "But we have an impressive steering committee with deep Olympic ties."
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
